Holbox Island

Holbox lies off the northern Yucatán coast, where shallow lagoons and channels separate the island from the mainland and link the Gulf of Mexico with the waters to the east. Maya coastal communities used these waters for fishing and salt collection, and canoes carried salt, food, cotton and other goods between settlements. Coastal navigation tied the island's shores to the peninsula's wider exchange networks. After the Spanish conquest, Maya communities continued to live across the peninsula, and seafaring routes kept passing the island's shallow reefs and channels.